Before Strategies

BEFORE STRATEGIES

Purposes:

• Activate prior knowledge
• Build background knowledge
• Generate questions
• Make predictions
• Discuss vocabulary
• Establish a purpose for reading/lesson

STRATEGIES

ABC Brainstorm

Purposes:(1) activate prior knowledge about a major topic and (2) allow students to build background knowledge about a topic through discussion with other students

Procedure:

1. Present the topic of the brainstorm to the students.
2. Students list all the letters of the alphabet down a sheet of paper, leaving room beside each letter to write out the rest of a word or phrase.
3. Students work individually thinking of as many words as they can that are associated with the topic and write the words beside the appropriate letters.
4. After a few minutes, let the students pair up or work in small groups to fill in blank letters they have not yet completed.
5. Allow students to share with the entire class possible terms for the different letters of the alphabet.

Anticipation Guide

Purposes: (1) set purposes for reading texts, (2) activate prior knowledge, and (3) help make connections with the text

Procedure:

1. Analyze material to be read. Select major ideas with which students will interact.
2. Write the ideas in short, clear declarative statements with some of the statements being true and some of the statements being false.
3. Put statements in a format that will elicit anticipation and prediction.
4. Discuss students’ anticipations and predictions before they read the text.
5. Students read the text to confirm or disconfirm their original responses. After reading, students revisit their predictions and modify, if necessary.

Example:

Agree Disagree Agree Disagree

______1. Bats use their ears to help them see ______

at night.

______2. The mudskipper is a fish that can ______

climb a tree.

Source: Readence, J., Bean, T., & Baldwin, R. (2000). Content area reading: An integrated approach.Dubuque,IA: Kendall/Hunt.

Carousel Brainstorm
Purposes: This strategy can fit almost any purpose developed

Procedure:

1. Teacher determines what topics will be placed on chart paper. 2. Chart paper is placed on walls around the room. 3. Teacher places students into groups of four. 4. Students begin at a designated chart. 5. They read the prompt, discuss with group, and respond directly on the chart. 6. After an allotted amount of time, students rotate to next chart. 7. Students read next prompt and previous recordings, and then record any new discoveries or discussion points. 8. Continue until each group has responded to each prompt. 9. Teacher shares information from charts and conversations heard while responding.

** This strategy can be modified by having the chart “carousel” to groups, rather than groups moving to chart.

Five Word Prediction

Purposes: (1) encourage students to make predictions about text, (2) activate prior knowledge, (3) set purposes for reading, and (4) introduce new vocabulary

Procedure:

1. Select five key vocabulary words from the text that students are about to read.
2. List the words in order on the chalkboard.
3. Clarify the meaning of any unfamiliar words.
4. Ask students to write a paragraph predicting the theme of the lesson using all of the words in the paragraph.
5. Allow volunteers to share their predictions.
6. After completing the lesson, ask the students to use the same words to write a summary paragraph.

Graphic Organizers

Purposes: (1) provide a visual model of the structure of text and (2) provide a format for organizing information and concepts

Procedure:

1. Introduce the graphic organizer to the students. Demonstrate how it works by reading a piece of text and noting key concepts and ideas on the organizer.
2. Have groups of students practice using the graphic organizer with ideas from independently read text. Share ideas with the class.
3. Choose an organizer that matches the text structure and thinking processes.

INSERT

Purposes: (1) provide opportunities for reflection and (2) make connections between prior knowledge and text content

Procedure:

1. Engage in direct instruction and think aloud to teach the INSERT method.
2. Introduce a topic and ask students to brainstorm lists of what they already know about it.
3. Teach students the following modified notation system:

If an idea: Put this notation in the margin:

• confirms what you thought √ Insert a checkmark
• contradicts what you thought -- Insert a minus sign
• is new to you + Insert a plus sign
• confuses you ? Insert a question mark

1. Encourage students to use the notation system in the margins of the informational text or on sticky notes as they read various parts of the text. For example, students place a checkmark (√) in the margin if the information they are reading verifies what is on the brainstorm lists; they place a plus sign (+) if the information is new to them (not on their lists); they place a minus sign (--) if the information contradicts or disproves information on the brainstorm lists; they place a question mark (?) if the information is confusing.
2. After the students finish reading and inserting symbols, use the information as the basis for discussion, to seek more information, to answer questions, or to raise new questions.

Source: Vaughn, J. & Estes, T. (1986) Reading and reasoning beyond the primary grades. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

KWL

Purposes: (1) link prior knowledge to new information (2) generate questions to guide meaningful learning (3) create own meaning and learning from new text.

Procedure:

1. On the chalkboard, on an overhead, on a handout, or on students' individual clean sheets, three columns should be drawn.
2. Label Column 1 K, Column 2 W, Column 3 L.
3. Before reading (or viewing or listening), students fill in the Know column with words, terms, or phrases from their background or prior knowledge. If you are having them draw on a topic previously learned, then the K column may be topic-related. But if the topic is something brand-new, and they don't know anything (or much) about it, you should use the K column to have them bringing to mind a similar, analogous, or broader idea.
4. Then have students generate questions about what they might learn or want to learn about the topic, which might follow a quick glance at the topic headings, pictures, and charts that are found in the reading. This helps set their purpose for reading and focuses their attention on key ideas.
5. After reading, students should fill in their new knowledge gained from reading the content. They can also clear up misperceptions about the topic which might have shown up in the Know column before they actually read anything. This is the stage of metacognition: did they get it or not?

Knowledge Rating

Purposes: (1) discuss vocabulary (2) asses prior knowledge (3) engage with text (4) integrate new information with prior knowledge (5)self-monitor comprehension

Procedure:

1. Students begin with a list of vocabulary words and corresponding

columns (Never Heard This Word, Heard Of It, But Don’t Know It, I

Know This Word Well).

2. Before reading, students analyze each word and mark the appropriate

column. If the student knows the meaning of the word, a short definition

is written in the appropriate column. If the student has heard of the word

they should write where they have seen/heard it or what they know about

it.

3. Next, students skim the text to locate the words in context. The location

of the word is noted for later reference (with highlighters, removable

sticky strips, underlining, etc.). It is permissible to have the students

highlight a form of the word, if the exact word is not found first.

4. After reading the text completely, the words are revisited in context, and

definitions are noted for each word. Such active participation in

processing vocabulary is necessary to understand the text and to help

students construct meaning.

** As always, teacher should model this strategy first.

List-Group-Label

Purposes: (1) activate prior knowledge about a topic and (2) develop clearer understandings about concepts

Procedure:

1. Write a cue word on the board.
2. Have students brainstorm words or concepts related to the topic. Write down all ideas.
3. Lead a discussion about whether any words should be eliminated, if so, why?
4. Divide the class into groups of three or four. Have groups cluster the words and give each cluster a descriptive term.
5. Have groups share their clusters and give reasons for their choices.
6. Have students read the text. Afterward, have students revisit their clusters and modify, if necessary.

Source: Maring, G., Furman, G., & Blum-Anderson, J. (1985). Five cooperative learning strategies for mainstreamed youngsters in content area classrooms.The Reading Teacher, 39, 310-313.

Prereading Plan

Purposes: (1) activate prior knowledge about a topic, (2) to introduce new vocabulary, (3) and make connections

Procedure:

1. Provide students with a cue word or idea to stimulate thinking about a topic.
2. Have students brainstorm words or concepts related to the topic. Write all ideas on the board or a chart.
3. After all the words and ideas are listed, go back to each word and ask the contributor why he or she suggested the word. Clarify ideas or elaborate on concepts.
4. Have students read the text.
5. After reading, revisit the original list of words and revise as necessary.

Source: Langer, J. (1981). From theory to practice: A prereading plan. Journal of Reading, 25, 152 – 156.

Preview and Predict

Purpose: (1) activate prior knowledge (2) generate questions (3) make predictions (4) establish a purpose for reading

Procedure:

1. Preview the text in a short period of time (3-5 minutes) by viewing and

discussing various aspects of the text such as:

Title, author, pictures, opening sentence, sub-headings, captions, charts,

graphs, tables, typographic features, margin notes, vocabulary, outcomes

2. Encourage students to predict what the text may be about. Teacher may

want to record student predictions on board.

3. Students should be able to justify how text aspects support their

predictions.

4. Students then read a portion of the text, stopping at critical points to

discuss whether their predictions were or were not confirmed by the text.

Preview Chart

Purpose: (1) establish a purpose for reading (2) generate questions to guide reading

Procedure:

1. Teacher should model this process for the students.

2. Have students work with pairs to complete the chart.

3. Have students begin to use the chart independently to think about the text.

Question-Answer Relationships (QAR)
The Question-Answer Relationships is a way to help students realize that the answers they seek are related to the type of question that is asked; it encourages them to be strategic about their search for answers based on an awareness of what different types of questions look for. It is even more important to understand where the answer will come from. Teaching QARs to students begins with helping them understand the core notion: that when confronted with a question, the answer will come either from the text or from what kids know.

Explain Those Four QARs!

1. Right There. The answer is in the text, and if we pointed at it, we'd say it's "right there!" Often, the answer will be in a single sentence or place in the text, and the words used to create the question are often also in that same place.
2. Think and Search. The answer is in the text, but you might have to look in several different sentences to find it. It is broken up or scattered or requires a grasp of multiple ideas across paragraphs or pages.
3. Author and You. The answer is not in the text, but you still need information that the author has given you, combined with what you already know, in order to respond to this type of question.
4. On My Own. The answer is not in the text, and in fact you don't even have to have read the text to be able to answer it.
5. Think-Pair-Share
6. Purposes: variety
   1) Think. The teacher provokes students' thinking with a question or prompt or observation. The students should take a few moments (probably not minutes) just to THINK about the question.
7. 2) Pair. Using designated partners, nearby neighbors, or a deskmate, students PAIR up to talk about the answer each came up with. They compare their mental or written notes and identify the answers they think are best, most convincing, or most unique.
8. 3) Share. After students talk in pairs for a few moments (again, usually not minutes), the teacher calls for pairs to SHARE their thinking with the rest of the class. Sharing can be accomplished in a variety of ways: going around in round-robin fashion, calling on each pair, taking answers as they are called out (or as hands are raised), pairing with another pair. Often, the teacher or a designated helper will record these responses on the board or on the overhead.

Quadrant Cards

Purposes: (1) motivate students to engage in vocabulary study and

(2) expand vocabulary

Procedure:

1. Divide a sheet of paper into four parts.
2. List the word to be learned in the top left quadrant.
3. Write a definition and or synonym in the top right quadrant.
4. Write associations for the word in the bottom left quadrant.
5. Write antonyms or draw an illustration in the bottom right corner.

Quick Write

Purposes: (1) introduce a concept and connect this concept with prior knowledge or experiences and (2) allow students to discuss and learn from each other

Procedure:

1. Introduce a single word or phrase to the class.
2. Students copy the concept on index cards.
3. Students are given two minutes to write whatever comes to their minds relative to the concept. They may write freely using single words, phrases, sentences, etc.
4. After time is called, students may volunteer to share their thoughts on the subject.

Table Talk

Purposes: (1) activate prior knowledge, (2) build background knowledge,

(3) encourage active listening, and (4) set a purpose for reading/lesson

Procedure:

1. Write a thought provoking statement or question related to the subject of the upcoming lesson on the chalkboard.
2. Each student has two minutes to read the topic, reflect, and write a response.
3. Each student has three minutes to share his/her response with a partner, reflect, and write a response to his/her partner’s statement.
4. Pairs combine to form small groups of 4-6 students. Responses are shared within the group and one response is chosen to share with the whole class.

Think Aloud

1. Purposes: monitor comprehension and direct thinking
2. Procedure:
3. Teacher reads a section of text aloud stopping periodically to verbalize the thought processes that are occurring while reading. Teacher should model connections, thoughts, questions, vocabulary interferences, etc…
4. Students practice the Think Aloud with a partner
5. As the technique becomes routine, confidence and the ability to use the Think Aloud strategy independently will grow.